He said: “We need to make sure that if someone has a heart attack, that they can have easier access to life saving equipment and skills. Time is critical and it has been shown that defibrillators can save lives. Let’s make this happen.”

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw added: “This is a much-needed and worthy campaign which we are more than happy to support.

“As awareness over conditions like heart attacks increase, that has to be matched by the necessary equipment being ­available.

“People are living longer in Scotland and while that is welcome, it will bring its challenges too.

“One of those could be an increase in heart scares and that’s why this excellent piece of campaigning journalism is so important.” SNP MSP Kevin Stewart said: “Around 1500 people die from cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year and every second without CPR and ­defibrillation reduces the chance of survival – so the Daily Record campaign to raise awareness is very welcome.

“Last week the Scottish ­Government announced £1million to ensure every NHS dental practice in Scotland has a defibrillator installed.

“And it has invested £100,000 to allow the Scottish Ambulance Service to purchase and deploy defibrillators across the country – meaning ­thousands more chances to save a life in communities across Scotland.”

The Motion

That the Parliament commends the Daily Record for the launch of its Heart Start campaign, which is highlighting the dangers of experiencing cardiac arrest without prompt medical treatment from CPR and defibrillation; understands that 1500 people die each year following a cardiac arrest outside of hospital and that each minute a cardiac arrest victim goes without CPR and defibrillation reduces their chance of survival by 10 per cent; welcomes the Scottish Government's announcement earlier in 2014 of £100,000 of funding to the Scottish Ambulance Service to purchase around 30 defibrillators and would welcome even greater provision of defibrillators across Scotland's communities; understands that only one fifth of local authority-managed leisure centres and community-use high schools currently have a defibrillator on the premises; commends the outstanding work of John and Di Hodgkinson in donating over 100 defibrillators to schools and sports clubs in Scotland in memory of their late son, Craig, and praises the work of charities such as Scottish Hart, Cardiac Risk in the Young and the British Heart Foundation to raise awareness of sudden cardiac death and the impact that it has on the friends and families of those who lose their lives.